(Plastic) Bag of Tricks

Plastic bags come in all shapes and sizes and have many uses.

On the road use them to:

Protect your hands when you’re pumping self-serve gasoline.

Keep your camera and film dry and free of dust.

Store a damp washcloth to wipe children’s hands and faces.

Create makeshift “galoshes” to cover your dress shoes when running from car to church through storms or puddles. Rubber bands will secure the plastic bags over your shoes.

Supply each child with his own self-sealing travel bag of small toys, games, crayons, pads of paper, etc.

Make a pillow. Seal a bag almost entirely, blow into it the amount of air you want, then seal the bag completely.

In the kitchen bags can:

Encase cookies, crackers, or dry bread pieces while you pound or roll them into crumbs.

Hold a pre-seasoned flour or crumb coating for chicken, etc. Put the meat to be coated right into the bag, secure tightly, and shake!

Slip over recipe books or cards while you’re using them to keep dribbles, splashes, and flour-covered hands from soiling the copy.

Grease pans. Place your hand in a bag before scooping grease from containers or greasing pans.

When using plastic bags around children, make sure that they never put them over their heads or try to breathe into them. Dian Thomas, Provo, Utah

Illustrated by Ronald O. Stucki